While We're Here
by Hermy-Weasley2
Summary: Lily and James go to visit Sirius. They find out he's not home, and they're locked out in the rain. Sequel Chapter UpRR if you'd like to.
1. Default Chapter

While We're Here Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any related items. If I did, I would be writing fanfictions for a website; I'd be writing the real thing for international publishing companies.  
  
Summary: Lily and James go to visit Sirius. They find out he's not home and they're locked out in the rain. *One-Shot Fluff*  
  
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"Which number was it again?" James asked looking at sheet of paper with writing scribbled all over it. "The rain's smudged the writing." Lily leaned in closer under the umbrella they were sharing.  
"It looks like 12-B or 17-E or 13-D or something," she answered, squinting at the writing.  
"Oh well now, that's a lot of help."  
"Well, you weren't getting us anywhere were you?" Lily snapped back at him. "Why did we have to take Muggle transportation?"  
"Because this is a Muggle city," James said peering around at the tall, slender houses and sky scrapers. "You know we can't risk it."  
"I know," Lily sighed. "Well, if all we're going to do is stand in the rain we could start knocking on doors." James nodded and they did just that. Starting with 12-B, they knocked on every door with a number that resembled the smudged scribbles on the page.  
"Oh sorry sir," James apologized as an older man wearing nothing but a pair of torn blue shorts answered the door at 19-G. They had already been at it for nearly 45 minutes. "We were looking for our friend's flat. Sorry to bother you." He explained turning with Lily who was trying to hide her face that had now turned bright red.  
"Maybe we should try one last number. Is there a 17-B around here?" Lily suggested after she regained her composure. "The rain's getting worse, and the wind's getting up now."  
"Alright then. 17-B should be down this way somewhere." He put a hand on her back and led her down the street almost to where they started out. She was right. The wind was now blowing the rain in under their umbrella. It was getting harder and harder for him to keep a firm grip on the handle. Lily knocked on the door of 17-B. No answer. She knocked again. Still no answer, but when she looked down at the soggy door mat, she saw the initials, S.B.  
"James. Look. This is Sirius' flat," she said thrusting her index finger towards the mat.  
"So it is. He must not be home," James cautiously took one hand off the umbrella to knock on the door once more.  
"Maybe he got the wrong time. Or maybe something important came up."  
"Maybe. Well, in any case, he's not home. We should go."  
"No, it's late, and it's raining. Our train was the last one today. We'll have to walk for ages until its safe to Disapparate."  
"Well, what do you suggest we do?" James had intended his voice to sound angry, but it immediately softened itself at the look on Lily's face. That look changed suddenly from a pitiful worry to a look that reflected the stroke of brilliance that had just crossed her mind.  
"This is a Muggle city, right?" James nodded. "And Sirius is supposed to follow Muggle customs right?" James nodded again. "Those are Dumbledore's orders right?" James nodded again. And Sirius would do everything he could to follow Dumbledore's orders right?" James was completely lost, but he nodded yet again. "Well, Muggles keep spare keys under the door mat!"  
"Oh," James was taken aback slightly, but in a good way. "Here, hold the umbrella. I'll get it." After handing the umbrella to Lily he kneeled and started searching under the door mat for the key. When he found it, he stood back up and said, "You better do it. I'm no good with Muggle locks." Lily nodded and brought the umbrella handle closer so he could take it, but, as she did, a gust of wind blew the umbrella over his head. James managed to keep the tips of his fingers on the hook of the handle, but he needed to grip it tighter. His other hand, the hand with the key, shot over his head to assist the other one, but in doing so, he lost his grip on the key. It slipped through his fingers and landed in a stream of rain water that carried it down a drain. In his shock, James let go of the umbrella handle as another gust of wind blew through. The umbrella was lost, the key was gone, and it had all happened in a matter of seconds. They were stuck outside in the wind and pouring rain.  
"James we can't stay here," Lily shivered drawing her jacket in tightly around her with her hands in the pockets. James shivered too, and they were both quickly getting drenched in rain water.  
"C'mon then," James took her gently by the arm and led her to the alley between 17-A and 17-B. At least the wind wasn't as bad there with the walls to block it out. They spotted a low, rickety old awning on one of the lower windows of 17-A (which appeared abandoned) and crotched under it. James took his jacket it off and put it around Lily's shoulders, put one arm around her waist and drew her closer to him. They were both sitting on the only dry patch of ground for what must have been miles, and were now relatively away from the rain. They didn't speak for several minutes. They just sat there in silence together listening to the rain on the awning. They both took long glances at each other when they knew the other wasn't looking, but they never said a word until James finally broke the silence.  
"You know, Lily, there's something I've been wanting to do for a very long time, and I've never wanted to do it any more than I do right now," he grinned looking her straight in the eye, his face glowing. Lily had a polite, but puzzled look on her face. James felt a swarm of butterflies take over his stomach and looked at the ground. "So, while we're here, in the rain and cold, trying to stay dry—"he stopped short, reached into his pocket and pulled out a little velvet box. "Lily, I love you more than anyone I've ever met. I can't imagine being with anyone but you. So—"he stopped again and delicately opened the box, "Lily Evans, will you marry me?"  
  
The End  
  
A/N: I think we all know what she said. 


	2. Sequel Chapter

While We're Here Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any related items. If I did, I would be writing fanfictions for a website; I'd be writing the real thing for international publishing companies.  
  
Summary: Sequel chapter.  
  
"Those look great too," James canswered after half-glancing at the china wedding plate in Lily's hand, hastily returning to his copy of the Daily Prophet. Lily sighed in frustration.  
"You didn't even give them a decent glance," she said.  
"Hmm? "James looked up from his newspaper again without having heard what Lily had just said to him.  
"Oh, honestly!"  
"Now Dearie," a kind-looking elderly witch had placed a soft hand on Lily's shoulder. "Those are nice, but they break easily. You don't want to be shooting Reparo spells all over the place on your wedding day now do you? I'd go with these." The elderly witch pointed to a set identical in design to the one Lily was looking at which was being displayed behind a sign that read 'Permanent Unbreakable Charm. 2 galleons more' and smiled. "Do you want me to have a little heart-to-heart with your fiancé, now Dearie?"  
"That won't be necessary, Grandmother," James answered, suddenly appearing behind Lily. "Lily, you've never met my lovely grandmother have you?"  
"No, I haven't," Lily grinned. "Nice to meet you Mrs.—"  
"Potter. Yes. Like you, I said yes to a Potter, and I can tell you that," she brought Lily in closer. "they have a thing for women with red hair. They never realize it until they're engaged, though. I used to look a lot like you when I was younger." The two of them giggled. James, who hadn't heard, was busy circling a large display of grooms' robes that had floated over to try and gain his interest. "So, getting married are you James? Congratulations!" She called toward her grandson. He returned to the two ladies. "I take it you haven't decided on a date yet or you would've invited your own grandmother already."  
"No, Grandmother, we haven't set a date yet," It was James' turn to respond. "But if you didn't know about our wedding, why are you here?" At that she giggled and pointed to the display of grooms' robes, which had floated away again and was now accompanied by a live, awfully good-looking model in his early twenties. James rolled his eyes and shook his head.  
"James's grandfather died years ago," she explained to Lily. "I missed him terribly for so long and still do, but I've moved on a quite a bit. I don't plan to remarry, mind you, but I can still look." She stole another glance at the model, eliciting the same reaction from James and further giggling from Lily.  
"Hold on, were you the grandmother that James's magical powers first appeared with?" Lily asked.  
"Why yes, I am. Has James told you that story?" she asked innocently. James's face turned bright red and Lily laughed again.  
"Please let's not go into that," James grumbled, hiding his face.  
"Yes he has. I've heard a lot of good things about you."  
"Oh, well, I'm sorry I live so far north that I can't get down there often. I'm glad this is the best wizarding wedding shop in Britain or I wouldn't get any gossip about southerners at all. My Apparating skills aren't what they used to be you know, and I don't travel any other way. I truly am sorry I haven't gotten to know you better before now. I'm sure we'll have a long time together yet. "  
"We will, definitely have a long time," Lily smiled with a hug for the older witch.  
"So, your parents gave me the news," she said pointedly in James's direction. "In case you were wondering."  
"I'm glad they did Grandmother. We would've stopped by, but we didn't know you'd be this close to the wedding shop."  
"Oh, I take out an odd room or so at Merlin's Beard in town through the week sometimes. I get so lonely at home alone."  
The three of them sat and talked about nothing in particular for a long time. They sat in three pale yellow chairs tucked away in a corner. Every once in a while, the model and his display of grooms' robes would float by or a very bright-smiled witch in robes that matched the chairs would offer them tea from a self-sufficient teapot. Occasionally, James would ignore the conversation and return to his newspaper. Other couples and families sat around in various other places in identical yellow chairs musing over champagne glasses or flower arrangements or things such as that.  
"Yes, that's how he proposed. Isn't it sweet?" James heard his fiancé say during one of the times when he drifted back to reality. She was telling that story was she? James grinned and pretended to go on with a very over-used story on Aberforth Dumbledore and his goats.  
"What are you grinning about James Edward Potter?" his Grandmother snapped across the semi-circle of chairs.  
"Nothing," James lied, still grinning.  
"Yes, there is too something!" she scowled again. "That's the same expression you used to wear when you told me fibs as a little boy. You can't lie to me, you know that."  
"Nothing, Grandmother," he assured her, doing his best to rid his face of the tell-tale smirk. "Lily, I hate to spoil the girl-talk here, but I need to be going. If you're staying, I'll see you tomorrow to look at the church right?"  
"No, no, I think I'll go with you. I have to get to bed early tonight anyway."  
"Yes, don't let me keep from your sleep, Lily," the older lady put in. "Or your fiancé."  
"Oh it's not that. I'd love to stay and talk with you some more, but—"Lily began, but she was halted by a waved hand.  
"I won't have any of that. Besides, I'm having dinner with a very handsome man from town tonight."  
  
James and Lily walked hand-in-hand through Diagon Alley after Apparating from the wedding shop. They reached the Leaky Cauldron and Lily turned o him.  
"Why don't we go in for some drinks or something?" she asked, drawing closer to him now holding both his hands in hers.  
"Oh Lily, you know I'd love to," he said, giving her a quick peck on the lips. "But I really do have to go into Muggle London. I wasn't just making that up to get away from grandmother you know."  
"Oh I know," Lily conceded, returning the peck. "It's okay. I'll just be getting home. I really do have to be getting to bed early too."  
"Are you sure?," James was whispering now and kissed her longer that time. "You don't look very a happy about it."  
"I'm okay, really," she returned the kiss, whispering herself now. "Why do you have to go to Muggle London?"  
"There's a great Muggle key maker there or so I hear."  
"Why do you need a Muggle key maker?"  
"Oh it's nothing. I owe a certain Mr. Scott Baker a spare key to his flat."  
  
The End A/N: I'll let you figure it out. 


End file.
